Recent Grad Wins Federal Bar Criminal Law Section Award
On the heels of graduating from Stetson Law in May 2024, alumna Ana Gabrielle Geiger got even more great news: she is one of three winners of this year’s Federal Bar Association Criminal Justice Section Award.
Given annually, this prestigious national honor includes a $1,500 scholarship award. Recipients are graduating law students who have shown promise in their pursuit of a career in criminal law serving in the public interest. Section officials said Geiger’s application stood out clearly from the others. “You should be very proud,” reads a congratulatory message addressed to Geiger from attorney Madison Bader, chair of the Federal Bar Association’s Criminal Law Section. “We received many applications from very well-qualified and terrific candidates from across the country. Your hard work and dedication was very apparent.”
Inspired by pursuit of justice
For Geiger, her time in law school was an opportunity to steep herself in the U. S. Criminal Justice system – so much so that she says her studies transformed into a “healthy obsession.”
She took a dozen courses outside Stetson Law’s core J.D. curriculum, from Criminal Procedure Investigation to the summer Law and the Civil Rights Movement travel course. During the summer before her 2L year, she voraciously read titles like Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy and Richard Rothstein’s The Color of Law, among others. She subsequently applied for – and was admitted to – Stetson Law’s Social Justice Advocacy concentration.
Geiger didn’t start law school knowing her path.
What opened her eyes to the disproportionate impact the criminal justice system can have on underserved populations was pro bono work with a driver’s license clinic offered to Stetson Law students through the Sixth Judicial Circuit’s Public Defender’s Office. She saw how offenders’ loss of driving privileges can have deep social and economic consequences that can lead to more criminal behavior.
Even more experience came through her participation in the public defender clinic in fall 2023. That December, she helped try two cases.
“Defending someone accused of committing a crime is one of the more rewarding joys in my life so far,” she said. “Everyone has a story, and everyone that takes part in criminal conduct or gets criminalized deserves to be treated with humanity and respect.”
Geiger continued to work for the public defender’s office as a Certified Legal Intern, but has since accepted a position as an Assistant Public Defender.
“The most fulfilling part of my job is connecting with clients and helping them,” Geiger said. “I do little things each day that change individual lives; I cannot ask for a better career, because I have found what I am meant to do.”
Recognition on campus
Those who observed Geiger’s work while she was at Stetson Law recall an exceptional student capable of an impactful career.
She received the Paul Barnard Award for Clinic Excellence, the William F. Blews Pro Bono Service Award, and the Student Leadership Development Certificate.
“It is wonderful to see Gabrielle Geiger win this prestigious award for her past and future work in making a difference in the lives of individuals within the criminal justice system,” said Law Professor Ellen Podgor. “Her enthusiasm and hard work are an inspiration to us all.”
Learn more about the Federal Bar Association Criminal Law Section.
Post date: June 5
Media contact: Kate Bradshaw
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